Second Generation- Teen Adventures
by KittyKatBella
Summary: Nick, Martin n Chris (sons of Ed, Edd n Eddy) have some major adventures in their teen years. They've just turned 15. The other kids also experience their own experiences as well. Join NMnC, Izzy, Ryland, and everyone else as they deal with their first parties, the sons and daughters of the Kankers, and of course, a bit of puberty.
1. Party

Chris was in his room, texting Martin and Nick. He heard his parents talking downstairs.

Chris: BRB guys. Gonna go check sumthing out

Nick: Wut is it Chris

Martin: Pray tell, what is it this time?

Chris: I hear my parents talking. Gonna eavesdrop a bit

Martin: Chris! You shouldn't eavesdrop on your parents! That's their business and you should respect their privacy.

Chris: Privacy, shmivacy. I just heard my name, I'm going

Chris set his phone down on his bed and snuck downstairs. His mom and dad were in the kitchen, talking.

"I just don't know," Bella was saying. She was sitting at the table.

"He is, Bella," Eddy said. He was standing up, "He's 15 now, plenty old enough. You can't just treat him like a little kitten still."

"It's not that," Bella said, "It's just...he hasn't really proven himself to be that trustworthy. And what with Izzy and Ryland going away to visit their _nonna n nonno_ …"

"It might be his first time staying home alone- apart from the twins- but I think he's ready," Eddy said, "What's the worst he could do?"

Bella looked straight at him and stood up.

"Considering he's _your_ son, I can think of plenty of things," She said.

"Babe, he'll be fine," Eddy assured, "We haven't had a weekend to ourselves in a long time."

"Oh...alright," Bella sighed. They started towards the door and Chris silently scrambled up to his room. He sat on his bed and resumed his chat with Martin and Nick as though nothing had happened. His parents knocked on his door and entered.

"Hey Mom, Dad, what's up?" Chris asked.

"Chris, me and your dad are going away this weekend," Bella began.

"And after some thinking, we've decided..." Eddy looked at Bella.

"That...you're old enough to stay home alone by yourself this weekend," She finished.

"He's WHAT?!" Izzy yelled from her room, "HE BETTER NOT GO IN MY ROOM WHILE I'M GONE!"

"Really?" Chris acted surprised, "Wow, awesome!"

"Now, there are a few rules," Bella said, "Only Nick and Martin are allowed to come over, you have to watch the twins, take care of the kittens-"

"All of them?" Chris asked.

"Well, just Oliver and Snowball," Eddy said, "The twins will take care of Midnight."

"Alright, alright," Chris said, "So feeding and cat litter, got it. Anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing," Bella said, "You are not-"

"Under any circumstances," Eddy put in.

"Allowed to throw a party," Bella said.

"Alright," Chris said, crossing his fingers behind his back, "I won't."

"Make him Pinkie promise!" Izzy and Bellini each yelled from their room.

"I'm not doing that stupid My Little Pony promise!" Chris spat at them.

"It's alright, you don't have to," Eddy said. The two of them left and closed the door behind them. Chris snatched up his phone.

Nick: Well? Wut waz it?

Chris: IM ALLOWED 2 STAY HOME ALONE 4 THE WKND!

Martin: All by yourself?

Nick: Way 2 go Chris!

Chris: Well, the twins will b here, but M+D r gonna b gone, and so is Izzy

Martin: Well well well, this is quite a big step. Aunt Bella and Uncle Eddy finally trust you to stay home by yourself. Aren't you proud? I sure am!

Chris: Yup! Imma throw a party!

Nick: Awsum!

Martin: Well there goes the trust I had in you. *annoyed face*

Nick: Can we cum Chris?

Chris: Duh! U guys r my best friends!

Martin: Chris, you shouldn't! Your parents have placed their trust in you! If they find out you threw a party, they'll never trust you again!

Chris: They won't find out! I'll make sure of that. They're leaving 2morrow morning, and so are Iz and Rye. They'll all b back Sunday afternoon, plenty of time

"Chris, bedtime," Bella said.

"Alright," Chris said. He plugged his phone in and Bella flicked off his light switch.

* * *

The next day...

The kids were waiting for the bus to the high school. Izzy and Ryland weren't there since they had already left for their _nonni'_ house.

"Hey, where's Izzy?" James asked, looking around.

"And Ryland?" Justin added. Chris glared at them.

"They're visiting our _nonni,_ so beat it," He snapped.

"Oh whatever," James rolled his eyes at Chris and flicked his nose. Chris rubbed his nose and glared at the two brothers as they walked off.

"Oh how I hate them," Chris growled.

"I do detest them as well," Martin frowned. The bus pulled up and the kids piled on. Chris sat next to Nicole.

"Morning babe," Chris smiled.

"Good mornin' hon," Nicole smiled back, "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Chris acted cool, "Except that I get to stay home all alone this weekend!"

"Woah, really?" Nicole said, "That's so rad, hon!"

"Yeah," Chris smirked, "I mean, the twins'll be there, but no mom, dad, or Izzy."

"Congrats," Nicole smiled, "So, what're you gonna do all weekend?"

"I'm gonna throw a party," Chris said, "Help me spread the word?"

"Sure," Nicole said.

* * *

After a few more stops, the bus pulled into the school. The kids got off and entered the school. Chris saw Nicole whisper something to her group of friends and one of them said, "Alright! We'll spread the word, Nicole." Martin was reaching up to get something from the top of his locker when Justin shoved his back. Martin let out a small "ouch" as James and Justin walked off, snickering, before James did the same thing to Chris.

"At least our dads only had to deal with one of 'em," Chris grumbled, rubbing his shoulder where it had smashed into his locker.

"Correction, four after the big Incident," Martin said, "Lob, Doyle, and Justin Drake. Good thing they moved away."

"Right, them," Chris rolled his eyes, "Justin, huh?"

"Yes, I believe so," Martin said.

"My dad said they were really scary," Nick gulped.

"Yes, well, let's just get to class, shall we?" Martin said. The three boys grabbed their stuff and walked to their first class.

* * *

The next day...

The word about Chris's party had gotten out to nearly everyone at school. Now he, Martin, and Nick were setting it up.

"Chips and dip," Martin read from a checklist.

"Check," Chris said, setting the bowls on the table.

"Soda and other drinks?" Martin said.

"Check!" Nick said, setting cans of soda and cups of milk on the table.

"Music?" Martin asked.

"Check," Chris said.

"Stay out notes on Izzy and your's doors?"

"Check! Check check check!" Chris insisted, "I got it all, Martin!"

"Just making sure," Martin said, "Well then, I suppose we're all ready?"

"Everything's a-ok, Martin!" Nick smiled.

"Hmm, I just feel like something's missing, though," Chris said thoughtfully, "I mean, this is my first party, and I heard that older kids were coming..."

"Older like... _older_ older?" Martin asked nervously.

" _Older_ older," Chris nodded.

"Like...?" Martin trailed off, "Seniors?"

"Chris is the man!" Nick cried happily, pulling Chris into a big hug.

"Yeah, I am," Chris said, "But see, the thing is, if seniors are coming-"

"Oh no!" Martin said, "There's no way-!"

"We need more than soda-" Chris tried to say.

"No, Chris!" Martin raised his voice, "We can't!"

"Do you want to be known as the two sophomores that threw a party with seniors but without-" Chris was cut off again.

"I don't care about my public title!" Martin said, "It's against the law for minors to drink!"

"WE don't have to drink it!" Chris said, "I mean, even I've never had more than a sip of wine for dinner! And that's only cuz my mom's Italian!"

"Oh...alright," Martin gave in and sighed, "But where are we going to get drinks on such short notice?"

"My dad has a stash hidden in the basement," Chris said, "In his hangout room. I know where he keeps the key."

"Of course," Martin sighed.

"And I could probably sneak some wine from the kitchen," Chris said.

"Alright, alright!" Martin said, "Let's just get this over with."

The three boys headed downstairs. Chris quickly found the hidden key and opened the door. He flipped the light on and they could see the room. It had a couch, a TV, a pool table, and a small mini fridge in the back corner. The room had a distinctive smell.

"This room smells like my dad's breath after he comes home from hanging out here," Nick said.

"Yes, well," Martin cleared his throat, "Let's get the drinks and leave."

Chris crossed the room to the mini fridge. Nick walked over to the pool table. He picked up one of the pool sticks.

"Hey guys, look at me!" Nick closed one eye and stuck his tongue out, pretending to play the game, "I'm my dad!"

"Nick, don't touch," Martin said, taking the stick and setting it back on the rack.

"Hey Nick, come carry these, will ya?" Chris said. He had two cases of beer on the floor in front of the closed mini fridge.

"Gotcha!" Nick said, walking over and picking them up.

"Now let's hurry upstairs, everyone should be arriving soon," Chris said. The three left and Chris made sure to lock the door behind him.

"Chris, won't your father notice two cases of beer missing?" Martin worried.

"Don't worry, I'll buy some more before they get back," Chris waved it off, "Set 'em on the table, Nick."

Nick did so and just as he did, the doorbell rang.

"They're here!" Chris said, "Nick, there's a box of wine on the kitchen counter, go get it and bring it out."

Chris went to answer the door while Nick went to get the box. Standing at the door was Nicole and her friends.

"Hey babe," Chris smiled, "Party's just getting started. Come in and get yourselves comfortable, I'll go start up the music."

"KK," Nicole smiled at him and she and her friends entered. Chris got his phone and connected it to the speakers. He looked at his playlist and started it.

"OMG who are they?"

"Aw, they're so cute!"

"Come here!"

"Who are you precious little things?"

"Oh, that's Snowball, Midnight, and Oliver, Chris's kittens."

"Oh shit," Chris realized.

He rushed in the room. If he didn't lock Oliver up in his room or someplace, he'd made more of a mess than the actual party. Nicole and her friends were playing with the three kittens. Oliver had this sort of smirk on his face. He was on the back of the couch and preparing to pounce...

"OLIVER!" Chris caught him right before he jumped onto Nicole's head, "Sorry about him, he's a pain. I'm gonna put them in my room, be right back. Come on you two."

Snowball and Midnight didn't listen as they played with the girls. Chris's face reddened as he did had he had to get the two to listen to him.

" _Snowball and Midnight, get your tails in my room right now and watch your brother,"_ Chris spoke in cat and the two listened. They followed him to his room and Chris sat Oliver down. He shut the door before the cat could escape, making Oliver smack his face on the door. Chris headed back downstairs to the girls sitting in slight shock.

"What?" Chris asked.

"So you can, like, really speak cat?" One girl asked, "It's not a costume?"

"Nope, 100% real," Chris said.

"That's so cool!" Another said. The doorbell rung again and Martin answered. Standing there were the rest of the cul-de-sac kids.

"Greetings everyone," Martin greeted, "Please wipe your feet and come in. Upstairs is off limits, as is the basement."

Chris shoved him out of the way.

"Ignore him," He said, "Come in and go where you want. However, my room and Izzy's room IS off limits, mostly because there's a furry tornado ready to break all hell loose in my room and Izzy will kill me if I go in her room."

The kids laughed and came in. After about another hour, the house was nearly full. Chris had left the back door open and kids were in the backyard by the pool. Most of the kids had brought swimsuits and were swimming around. No one had yet touched the 'big people soda', as Nick called it. The twins were downstairs in the party, but were mostly staying to the side and observing.

"What are you two doing over here?" Chris asked, walking over, "Go on, have a soda or something. You're my little bro and sis, you're not just gonna sit by at my own party!"

"Well, alright," Bellino smiled and beckoned Bellini over as they walked towards the snack table.

"Hey Bellino, let's go swimming," Bellini said.

"Yeah, alright," Bellino said. After they each got a soda they walked upstairs to their room. There were a few kids.

"Oh, um, everyone?" Bellini spoke quietly, "If you could please, uh-"

"HEY!" Bellino yelled, getting their attention, "EVERYONE GET OUTTA OUR ROOM FOR A MINUTE!"

The kids there left and the twins each went into their own closet to change. Bellini had a pink one piece and Bellino had red trunks. They rushed downstairs and out the backdoor, yelling "CANNONBALLS!" before jumping into the pool together. Everyone laughed as the two surfaced.

* * *

"Everyone having a good time?" Chris was walking around the party, "Good? Have you tried the dip? Pool's out back!"

Suddenly, a van swerved into the front yard, leaving tire marks. About ten seniors got out of the van and cheered loudly. Chris saw from the window and smiled.

"MARTIN!" Chris yelled, and the boy appeared next to him.

"Messy messy messy," Martin mumbled, "Yes, Chris?"

"Our very important seniors have arrived," Chris said, "Go show them to the snacks, and don't be a nerd or a stickler with rules."

"Oh, um, alright," Martin said, making his way through the crowd towards the door.

"Hey Chris?"

"Yeah N- NICK!" Chris turned around to see Nick with a toilet seat lid around his neck.

"Uh, your toilet broke," Nick said. Chris growled angrily.

* * *

Martin opened the door to the group of seniors outside.

"Oh, um, hello ladies and gentlemen," He greeted, "Right this way. Um, the snack table is over in that direction, and the pool is in the, um, backyard."

The group headed inside. Martin followed and went to find Chris.

"Chris? Oh Chris!" Martin called. He found him on the dance floor, surrounded by a few girls, "Chris!"

Chris couldn't hear him so Martin took a deep breath and entered the crowd. He got bumped around a few times but managed to make his way to Chris. He tapped a girl on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, but I would like to request a chat with my friend," Martin said.

"Sure dude!" The girl smiled and let him through. Martin tapped Chris and got his attention.

"Hey Mar!" Chris smiled, "Pretty good party, huh?!"

"Yes, well, um, may I talk to you?" Martin asked.

"Alright, but make it quick," Chris said, still dancing.

"Well, the seniors have entered the building and I believe are near the snack table," Martin informed, "I believe it would be best for you to go and greet them. You are the host of the party."

"Oh, right!" Chris said, "Take five, ladies! I got some business to tend to!"

Martin watched as Chris easily danced his way through the crowd until someone knocked Martin to the ground. His glasses fell off and he suspected they were immediately smashed, judging by the sound of glass breaking.

"Oh dear," Martin gulped.

"Woah little dude!" The guy that knocked him over easily picked him back up, "Sorry 'bout that! You good?!"

Martin didn't answer as he squinted to make out his surroundings. He pushed his way through the crowd until he bumped into who he thought was Nick.

"Nick? Is that you?"

"Who you callin' Nick?!"

Martin paled and gulped. He knew that voice.

"Oh, J-Justin! Um, y-you're here?"

"Yeah! 'Course I am!" Justin snapped, "Now beat it before I beat your ass!"

"Language," Martin whispered quietly before walking off. Eventually he stumbled into Chris.

"Hey Martin, where's your glasses?" Chris asked.

"That's just it, they were smashed to pieces on the dance floor," Martin explained, "I can barely see!"

"Ouch," Chris said, "Come on, you can stay in my room for the rest of the party. You can go home and get your contacts later."

"Oh, um, a-alright," Martin said nervously.

His parents were going to be furious, glasses were expensive. And how would he cover up for how they broke without giving away Chris's party? Martin made his way up to Chris's room and opened the door. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the trapped kittens, and was therefore unprepared for the sudden blur of orange obscuring his vision. Oliver jumped off of his face and bolted downstairs into the party. Snowball and Midnight raced after him.

"You little SHIT!"

Martin heard Chris yelled from downstairs. He peered down the stairs and saw the blur of Chris chasing after the blur of Oliver. Martin couldn't do anything, though, so he sat down on Chris's bed.

* * *

Chris was chasing after Oliver, trying to catch him. Why did he tell Martin to go in _his_ room? He had been so wrapped up in the party that he forgot about the kittens in his room. Oliver got outside and ran right into the twins, who caught him.

"Gotcha!" They cried. Chris ran up to them.

"Thanks guys," Chris panted. He took Oliver and carried him back up to his room. Martin was sitting on his bed. Snowball and Midnight followed Chris as he closed the door and set Oliver down.

"Make sure he doesn't escape, alright?" Chris said.

"Oh, alright," Martin said. He held Oliver while Chris exited the room.

* * *

The next morning...

Chris woke up on the couch between Nicole and Nick. He groaned and rubbed his head.

"I think I had a bit too much wine," He mumbled to himself.

"Beg pardon?"

Chris jumped and turned around to see Martin cleaning up the place. (He had gotten his contacts and come back) Everyone was passed out.

"Martin, what are you doin' up this early?" Chris asked.

"It's nearly noon, Chris," Martin deadpanned, "And I'm trying to clean up. Messy messy messy."

He was wearing gloves as he picked up beer bottles and soda cans off the floor.

"Wow, I must've blacked out," Chris said.

"You must have," Martin said, becoming angry, "You were the only one I saw drinking wine, Chris, and the whole box is empty!"

"The whole box?!" Chris cried, startling some people awake, "Shit. Shit shit shit, mom's gonna be piiiiiiiiiiiissed..."

"Yes, and so will your dad even more so," Martin said, "You know why? Because earlier this morning I realized-" He got right in Chris's face, "WE'RE. UNDER. AGE. WE CAN'T. BUY. ALCOHOL!"

More people woke up.

"Crap..."

"Which means we can't-" Martin began.

"Yeah yeah yeah, we can't buy more beer to replace the cases we stole from my dad," Chris snapped, "I'm not stupid! I know that!"

"What're we going to do?" Martin asked.

"First let's get everyone out and get this place cleaned up," Chris said, "HEY EVERYONE!"

Now everybody was awake.

"GET OUTTA MY HOUSE! PARTY'S OVER!"

Everyone shuffled out the front door.

"Toot-a-loo, guys," Nick said sadly.

"Not you, Nick," Martin said.

"Yeah, we need you to help clean up," Chris said.

* * *

About half an hour later, the house was still a mess. Martin was trying to scrub the marker off the windows (it read 'CHRIS'S PARTY ROOLZ!') but it was proving difficult.

"My, this spelling is atrocious," Martin sighed. He looked out the window and paled, "Uh, C-Chris?"

"What is it, Martin?" Chris called from the other room.

"Your parents are back early!" Martin announced.

"THEY'RE WHAT?!" Chris screamed, shoving Martin to the floor and looking out the window. He paled as the car pulled into the driveway and his parents stepped out. Izzy and Ryland were in the backseats.

"CHRIS PRATO MCGEE!"


	2. Zombies

Nick was in his room in the basement, sitting in front of his TV. It was a Saturday evening, and his recliner chair was surrounding by movie boxes. Nick was watching a bunch of monster movies and his eyes were glued to the TV screen. Six-year-old Sheldon jumped down the stairs into the basement. He knocked on his brother's door and entered the room.

"Hiya big bro!" Sheldon greeted then saw the TV. He walked over and jumped onto the arm of the chair, "Whatcha watchin'?"

Nick jumped slightly and smiled at Sheldon.

"Hiya little bro!" Nick said happily, "I'm watching _Attack Of The 50-Foot TV Tray_! I got it from Dad!"

"Woah, cool!" Sheldon said. He sat and watched with Nick.

* * *

About half an hour later, it was dark out and the two boys were still watching monster movies. Suddenly, Chris slid into the room using the window in the basement.

"AHH! DON'T HURT US, MUTANT CAT MONSTER!" Nick and Sheldon cried, hiding behind the chair. Chris growled and looked at them from the chair.

"NICK!" Chris yelled, "I'M NOT A MUTANT, GOT IT?!"

"Oh, hiya Chris!" Nick smiled and popped up, "Sorry, we were watching mutant monster movies!"

"Yeah yeah," Chris rolled his eyes, "Come on, it's time for the bonfire."

"Bonfire?" Nick questioned.

"Yeah! Nicole's bonfire party, remember?" Chris said.

"Oh yeah!" Nick said.

"Yay, bonfire!" Sheldon jumped up and clapped.

"Come on, let's go get Martin," Chris said. The three exited out the window into Nick's backyard. The twins were waiting outside.

"I'm so excited!" Bellini said happily.

"Yeah, our first bonfire party!" Bellino agreed.

"Alright you two, you have to behave yourselves," Chris said, "I'm not playing babysitter all night."

"You don't have to, we're thirteen!" Bellino glared. The group heading over to Martin's house. Chris knocked on the door and Martin answered.

"Hey four eyes," Chris greeted.

"Hello Chris," Martin said, "Let's get going, shall we? Don't want to be late, do we?"

"Not for our first bonfire!" The twins and Sheldon said together. Martin smiled at them. They headed over to the junkyard. Nicole was having the party at the junkyard since there was so much space. Chris used his phone for a flashlight on their way over. They soon found where the bonfire was (it wasn't that hard) and walked over to Nicole.

"Hey guys, you made it!" She smiled.

"Course we did," Chris smiled back.

"It's dark," Sheldon said.

"Don't worry little dude, the bonfire'll get bigger and it won't be that dark," Nicole said.

"But what about the zombies?!" Sheldon asked fearfully. Everyone except Nick laughed.

"There's no zombies, Sheldon," Nicole assured, "Why don't you go find Oliva? She's here somewhere."

Sheldon shook his head and hid behind Nick. Nick was looking around nervously. Sheldon was right, this was just like the beginning scene in _Zombie Bonfire_ , where the teens gathered around the one girl's bonfire before the zombies come and eat them all.

"Well, there's snacks over there on the table, make yourselves comfortable," Nicole said.

"Will do," Martin nodded. The group walked over to the snack table. They each grabbed a soda and a bowl of chips (except for Sheldon, he shared with Nick) and walked over to the bonfire. Bellini and Bellino walked off by themselves. Izzy, Ryland, and Kevin were already there, along with a few other kids.

"Hey Mar," Ryland said.

"Hello Ryland," Martin smiled. Izzy looked over at Nick and Sheldon, who were still a little freaked out.

"What's with them?" Izzy asked. Chris and Martin looked over at the two.

"No idea," Chris shrugged.

Nick and Sheldon were in their own little world together. Every shadowy figure was a zombie limping towards them, every stack of junk took the shape of a monster.

"What's that?" Sheldon asked his brother, pointing. The bonfire flamed for a second and they saw it was just an old car part. The two sighed, relieved. They saw another shape that looked like it was reaching out at Chris.

"CHRIS!" Nick cried, shoving him out of the way and to the floor.

"Ow, Nick!" Chris snapped, "What was that for?!"

"I saw a-" Nick stopped as he looked and saw that the shape was nothing more than a broken pipe, "Zombie..."

"Nick you idiot, there aren't any zombies!" Chris snapped, "Now let me up!"

Nick stood up and so did Chris. Chris dusted himself off and growled at Nick. Nick took a step back as Chris walked back over to where he had been standing. Izzy and Ryland were still laughing.

"Oh shut up," Chris said angrily.

"But it was a zombie, I saw it!" Sheldon said, frowning.

"I don't get it, where are they?" Nick asked, "They must be hiding!"

"Yeah, in all these piles of trash, waiting to pounce!" Sheldon agreed.

"We need to find them before it's too late," Nick said.

"And defeat them," Sheldon said.

"We need weapons," Nick said. The two of them started digging through the piles of trash.

* * *

As the party went on, more and more kids showed up. All the Kanker cousins even showed up, and they didn't really bother anyone, either. A group of kids (including Ryland) were playing basketball with make-shift nets. The two teams were Ryland, Victor, Jakob, Eddward and James, Justin, Jason, and Kevin. Ryland's team was winning.

"Is that all you got?" Eddward teased.

"Just luring you into a false sense of security," James smirked at his brother.

"Yeah, sure," Eddward laughed.

James nodded at Justin and Justin nodded back. Justin stole the ball from Eddward and moved across the 'court.' Ryland was in front of the net, ready to jump up and block Justin's shot. Justin smirked and quickly kissed Ryland, throwing her concentration. He easily made the shot and dusted his hands off. Ryland blushed and growled angrily.

"Nice try, hon," Justin said.

"Hey, cheater!" Jakob said angrily, "That's not allowed! Right Woody?"

Jakob looked over at Woody, who was next to a flipboard to keep score. The score was 12-9. He also had a book titled The Official Basketball Rule And Guide Book open next to him.

"What do you mean, it's not in the rule book?" Jakob asked.

"Well duh, they never SAID it's against the rules to kiss someone and throw them off," James said, "That's why Justin's our secret weapon."

"Oh dear," Kevin frowned, "That doesn't seem quite...fair."

"If we can find a loophole, we take it," Justin said.

"Besides, it's not like it's the nationals or anything, so who cares?" Jason asked.

"This hole of loop you speak of irritates Victor," Victor said.

"Whatever, let's just get back to the game," Eddward said.

"Hey, where'd our nets go?" Ryland asked, seeing that the nets were missing.

* * *

Nick was using the nets' string to tie together a trap. Sheldon was watching him closely.

"This should stop them," Nick said proudly, "Alright Sheldon, time to get our game faces on."

The two of them picked up the masks they had made from old board games and put them on.

"For the cul-de-sac!" Nick cried, holding up a sharpened pipe.

"For the cul-de-sac!" Sheldon repeated, holding up a shorter piece of pipe, but not sharpened.

* * *

"Nicole, this party rocks!" Chris said, smiling.

"Thanks hon," Nicole smiled back, "I'm glad everyone showed up. Hey, mind helping me put some more wood in the fire?"

"Sure," Chris said. The two of them walked over to the pile of wood and threw some pieces into the fire.

"Hey Chris, Nicole, have either of you seen Oliva?" Janet asked them.

"I think she's over with the twins," Nicole said, pointing. Janet walked off to find her little sister.

"Hey, now that I think about it, where's Nick and Sheldon?" Chris asked, looking around.

"I haven't seen them for quite some time," Martin said, walking up, "I've become concerned."

"I'm sure they're alright," Chris said, "Nick's a giant and he's 15, he couldn't have gotten hurt. And Sheldon won't go anywhere without Nick."

"Well, I suppose," Martin said slowly. Suddenly, there were two yells over from the snack table. Chris and Martin hurried over to see Izzy and Ryland caught up in a net.

"Where'd this come from?!" Ryland asked.

"CHRIS!" Izzy yelled. Chris tried to not laugh.

"Izzy, while I give kudos to whoever came up with this, I can't take credit for it," Chris snickered.

"Ah-ha!" Nick and Sheldon jumped out with their 'weapons.'

"We have captured you, puny zombies!" Nick said, holding out his sharpened pipe.

"Now you won't harm any of our friends!" Sheldon added. Nick realized something.

"Hey, you aren't zombies," Nick said.

"Of course we aren't, you idiot!" Ryland snapped.

"Now get us down!" Izzy said angrily. Nick took the pipe and cut the rope, causing the two older girls to fall to the floor in a pile. They stood up and dusted themselves off.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Ryland growled, crossing her arms.

"We were only trying to protect you all from the zombies!" Sheldon said.

"Yeah! We thought they would come over to the snack table, so we set up a trap to stop them!" Nick explained.

"Guys, zombies don't exist, and there's certainly none here," Izzy said.

"But we saw them..." Nick frowned.

"Nick, you only thought you saw zombies," Martin said, "They were probably no more than pieces of trash in the shadows."

"This is all from them watching zombie movies before the party," Chris rolled his eyes.

"Oops," Nick laughed nervously, "Sorry guys."


	3. Short Number One- Ginger

Nick was in his room in his basement, looking at the newest issue of Chicks Galore. The magazine was full of pictures of baby chickens. Nick wanted one really bad. A little chick to raise, all on his own. He would be a good chicken owner. He would feed it and pet it and love it, everything you need to do for a pet.

Just then, there was a knock on his door. Nick set the magazine down and opened the door. His parents were standing there, smiling. Autumn was smiling lightly and knowingly. Ed, on the other hand, had the most ridiculous beam on his face, and was holding something behind his back.

"Nick, we know you've been wanting a pet for a while now," Autumn began, "So, we did some talking, and-"

"Can I tell him?" Ed asked, "Can I? Please please please please pleeeeeeeaaaaaase?"

"Sure, Ed," Autumn smiled.

"We got you a baby chicken egg!" Ed burst, holding out the egg he was hiding behind his back, "We got it from Rolf!"

"You can raise it till it hatches, and when it does, you'll have your very own baby chicken," Autumn said happily.

"WOW!" Nick cried happily, carefully taking the egg, "Thanks mom, dad! I'll take good care of it, I promise!"

"I'm sure you will," Autumn said softly, "Now, you know what an egg needs to grow, right?"

"Uh-huh!" Nick nodded, "I used to be in Martin's Happy Clucker's Club! It needs to stay warm! I think I gotta heat lamp here somewhere."

Nick carefully placed the egg in a pile of blanket on his bed before digging through his closet. Autumn looked a little disgusted.

"Nick, if you are going to keep a chicken here, you're going to need to clean your room up a bit," Autumn said, "Clear out a little corner."

"Oh oh, you can make a ramp leading up to your window and have a chicken pen outside!" Ed said, rushing over to help.

"Hey, yeah!" Nick said, looking at a picture of him as a baby, "Now, what was I looking for again? Oh right, heat lamp!"

"Is this it?" Autumn asked, looking at an unplugged lamp taking up space on Nick's desk.

"Oh, yeah," Nick said, "Thanks mom!"

Nick plugged in the heat lamp and put the egg under it on a balled-up shirt.

"Now it won't take too long for it to hatch," Autumn said, "Maybe a few days, so you'll want to get started on that pen."

"Right-o!" Nick said. He scooped up his phone and called Chris and Martin, "Hey guys, come here! I got something to show ya!"

"What it is, Dumbo?" Chris asked, "I'm kinda busy."

"Pray tell, Chris, what are you busy with?" Martin asked, "You just said you had nothing to do."

"Yeah, well, now I'm busy," Chris said.

"It's a surprise, guys!" Nick said, "Just come over here!"

"Alright, alright," Chris groaned, "Just give me a minute."

"I'll be right over, Nick," Martin said.

* * *

"You got a pet chicken?!" Martin and Chris cried when Nick told them. He nodded.

"Well, an egg," Nick said, "I was wondering if you'd guys help me build a ramp out of my window that leads into a chicken pen outside."

"We'd be happy to help," Martin smiled. They spent the rest of the day building.

* * *

About a week later, Nick woke up to the peeping of a young chick next to his head. He gasped and sat bolt upright.

"It hatched!" He said happily, looking at the chick. It was little and had orange feathers, "I'll call you Ginger."


	4. Valentine's Day

_The school bus pulls into the driveway of Peach Creek High School. The board out front reads 'Happy Valentine's Day!' The crowd of kids enter the school building. One kid throws a football and it knocks a pile of snow from the roof. After the kid runs over and grabs his football, it is revealed that the snow now says 'Teen Adventure's- Valentine's Day.' We follow the kids inside, where the bulletin board in the hall has papers that say, 'Starring The Second Generation Of Kids.' As the kids make their ways through the halls, the mush from their boots is left saying, 'With A Cameo from Martin's Father, Edd.' The kids head to their lockers, where papers on each locker have one letter. The papers go together, reading, 'Also Featuring A Cameo From Janet and Jason's Dad, Jimmy.' A paper on Nick's locker reads 'And With One Last Cameo From Nicole's Dad, Kevin.' The paper on Martin's locker reads, 'Written By KittyKatBella.' The last note, on Chris's locker, reads, 'It May Be Late, But I Felt Like It!'_

* * *

Chris tore the paper off his locker and crumpled it into a ball. He tossed it into the nearby recycling can and opened his locker. The paper was nothing more than another stupid announcement from the school. Another poster for volunteers needed to help kids study. Martin carefully took the poster off of his locker and read it through.

"Oh, the school is in need of more Study Guides," Martin said. That's what they were called, "I do hope someone volunteers. I would, but I'm already a member."

Martin chuckled and folded up the poster, setting it in the recycling can.

"I can't believe we have a test today," Chris groaned. He was holding a pink flower. The school had been selling them today for Valentine's Day.

"Chris, is that a carnation?" Martin smiled lightly.

"Yeah...so what?" Chris said, blushing slightly, "It's Valentine's Day and I bought one for my girlfriend, what's the big deal?"

Martin shook his head and smiled. Just then, Izzy and Ryland walked over. Ryland was snickering quietly.

"Hey guys, happy Valentine's Day," Izzy said. She was holding two cards, "I, uh, made cards for my friends, so..."

She handed both Martin and Nick a card. Martin's looked store bought, like the one Ryland was holding, (also from Izzy) but Nick's looked handmade.

"What about me?" Chris asked.

" _I said friends, idiot_ ," Izzy hissed in cat. Chris rolled his eyes.

" _Whatever_ ," Chris said back in cat, " _I can always tell Nick you like him anytime._ "

" _Shut up_ ," Izzy hissed, " _And you better not, unless you want your tail bitten off by the german shepherd in the trailer park_."

"Well, thank you Izzy, this is very kind," Martin smiled, "Um, what was all that about?"

Izzy quickly covered Chris's mouth.

"Nothing," She said shortly, glaring at him, "It was nothing."

"Oh, alright," Martin said, confused.

"Woah, cool!" Nick said. He opened his card and saw the pop-up chicken Izzy had put in, "Chicken!"

"I'm glad you like it, Nick," Izzy smiled, "It took me a while to make."

"Yeah, it's really cool!" Nick said happily, "I like the chicken! Thanks!"

"No problem!" Izzy beamed, "Well, we should, uh, get to class. Talk to you guys later."

She and Ryland walked off and Ryland whispered something to Izzy.

"Shut up you bitch," Izzy hissed.

The three boys put their stuff away and got out their supplies for class. The bell rang and they walked to their first class, English. Chris still had the flower with him.

"Hey Nicole," He said, walking over to her, "So, I, uh, y'know, bought this for you."

"Aw, thanks hon," Nicole smiled and took the flower, "I got one for you, too."

She held out a red flower and he took it.

"Thanks babe," Chris smiled and set it next to his stuff.

"Alright everyone, sit down," The teacher said, entering the room.

Everyone sat down in their seats and quieted down. They got out their homework from last night and the teacher came around to check who had it. Martin looked over at June, who was sitting with her brother and Mary. For some reason, Martin felt his heart skip a beat. June looked...different today. And he couldn't explain it.

Though no one could see them, there were two Cupids in the corner of the classroom. They looked just like the twins, except they were dressed like Cupids. The two were giggling as they high fived.

"Nice shot, Cupid Bellini," Cupid Bellino said.

"Thank you, Cupid Bellino," Cupid Bellini smiled, "Now he'll think she's really pretty!"

* * *

During science class, which Martin's father taught, Martin couldn't stop glancing at June. They were doing a lab with chemicals that day, so that resulted in Martin nearly blowing up the room.

 _Nearly._

"Martin, no, not that!" Edd cried, catching Martin's hand before he poured something into the test tube.

"Huh?" Martin looked at what he was doing and blushed, "Oh, m-my apologies, Father."

Edd looked thoughtfully at Martin and let go of his hand.

"Kevin, you're in charge while I step out," Edd said, "Come, Martin."

Martin frowned and followed his father out into the hall.

"Martin, is something the matter?" Edd asked quietly, "You seem distracted."

"I'm sorry, Father," Martin looked down, "I-It won't happen again."

"Martin, if something is bothering you, you can tell me," Edd said. Martin sighed.

"It's June," He said, "She seems...I don't know how to word it...different. I can't stop thinking about her. And when I look at her, my stomach feels all...queasy."

Edd smiled knowingly and chuckled lightly.

"You'll figure it out, I'm sure," He said. Martin nodded, "Now let's head back inside."

The two went back into the classroom, which was covered in ashes. Half of Chris's and Nick's shirt were missing.

"Good going Nick, look what you did!" Chris snapped.

"I blowed something up, Mr. Vincent!" Nick said.

"Oh dear," Edd sighed and shook his head, "It's alright, Nick. Go get the mop from the closet. I'll phone your parent's to bring you new clothes."

* * *

The bell soon rang and the kids headed to lunch. Nick, Martin, and Chris sat together at one table. Nicole was sitting with them, next to Chris. June sat with her brother and cousins at another table. Martin picked at his food but did eat it all.

"Hey four eyes, you feelin' alright?" Chris asked. Martin looked up with a "Hmm?"

"Oh, yes, I'm alright," Martin said.

"Hey Nicole, check out the card Izzy made me!" Nick said, showing Nicole the pop-up chicken.

"Aw, that's so rad!" Nicole giggled.

"Yeah, the chicken is the coolest!" Nick smiled happily. Nicole laughed and shook her head.

"So, guess what happened in science?" Chris said before telling the story.

* * *

"I blowed something up, Mr. Vincent!" Nicole cried out laughing. The four of them laughed loudly.

* * *

After they finished eating they cleaned up and the bell rang. Nick, Martin, and Chris headed to gym while Nicole headed to math. The boys changed into their gym uniforms. June was in their gym class and Martin felt queasy again. Not long after they started their running exercises, Martin felt sick. He walked over to their gym coach.

"Um, e-excuse me, Mr. Dorn?" Martin spoke. Kevin looked at him, "Um, may I go to the nurse? I don't feel so well."

"Yeah yeah, just let me write you a pass," Kevin said. He handed Martin the slip of paper, "Be back before class is over to change, alright?"

"Yes sir," Martin nodded.

He walked down the halls, holding the pass. All of a sudden he didn't feel so sick anymore, but still headed to the nurse anyway. He knocked on the office door and came in, showing them his pass. They pointed him down the hall. Martin entered the nurse's office and looked around.

"Hey Martin," Jimmy said, smiling.

"Hello, Uncle Jimmy," Martin said, sitting down on the couch.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Jimmy asked, feeling his forehead, "You're never sick."

"It's not a fever," Martin said, "I was in gym and my stomach started feeling queasy."

"Hmm, your gym is right after lunch, right?" Jimmy asked him.

"Yes," Martin said.

"I'm sure it's nothing then," Jimmy said, "Some kids do throw up or feel sick if their gym class is after lunch."

"Well, I didn't exactly throw up," Martin said.

"I know, but a few kids have felt like they're going to throw up," Jimmy said, "Stay here for a few minutes until you feel better and your lunch has digested a bit more, then head back to gym class."

"Yes sir," Martin said.

"Oh Martin, you don't have to act formal with me," Jimmy smiled. He got back to work organizing some things. Martin looked around and laid back on the couch. He looked over at Jimmy.

"You know, I remember countless times when your father had to leave gym class and go to the nurse's office," Jimmy said after a while, chuckling.

"Really?" Martin asked.

"Oh yes, he was never the athletic type, your father," Jimmy said.

"No, he isn't," Martin laughed quietly, "Uncle Jimmy, I'm feeling better now. Should I head back to gym class?"

"It's almost over," Jimmy said, "Sure you don't just want to wait?"

"Mr. Dorn said to get back before gym ended to change back," Martin said.

"Oh, ok then," Jimmy said, "I'll just fill out your pass."

Jimmy did so and sent Martin back to gym class. He got there just as Kevin told everyone to go and change.

"Martin!" Kevin called him over, "You missed the entire gym class! You weren't skipping out, were you?"

"N-no, Mr. Dorn!" Martin said, "You know I would never! I just really didn't feel well. My apologies."

"I'm just messin' with you," Kevin smiled, "Your dad was the same way, and even he would never skip. Get in there and change."

"Yes sir," Martin said and entered the changing rooms.

"Hey four eyes, where were you?" Chris asked, thumping his back, "You missed one heck of a class!"

"Well, I wasn't feeling well, Chris," Martin said simply.

"But Martin, it was so much fun!" Nick said.

"I'm sorry, Nick," Martin said, "I'll be here tomorrow, promise."

They changed back into their uniforms and walked to their next class. Nick was still looking at the card Izzy had made him.

"He still hasn't figured it out yet, has he?" Chris asked Martin.

"I don't believe so," Martin shook his head.

"If he doesn't figure it out by the end of the day, I'm telling him," Chris said. They passed by June, Mary, and Lily on their way to their lockers. Martin turned a little red and opened his locker, "Martin, you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yes, I'm fine," Martin said. He had finally figured out why he kept feeling queasy around June.

He was _in love._

With a _Kanker._

Well, not really _Kanker_ , more like 2x4. That was her last name, after all. But how could he be in love with June? One of the girls who had chased him and his friends around for as long as he could remember? And she wasn't even the 2x4/Baxter/Sheppard girl that liked him. Mary liked him. June crushed on Nick.

Chris was talking to him.

"Martin!" Chris yelled. Martin shook his head.

"What? Oh, um, yes Chris?" He asked.

"What's with you?" Chris asked, "You totally zoned out."

"My apologies, Chris," Martin said, "I was just...thinking."

"What about?" Chris asked as they headed to class.

"Uh..." Martin darted around his brain, thinking, "Thhhheeee...upcoming test!"

"Oh right," Chris rolled his eyes. Martin sighed, relieved he had come up with an excuse.

* * *

During class, Martin scrapped up a small note. It was nothing much. All it said was _'Happy Valentine's Day- Your Secret Admirer.'_ He had come up with a plan. He would ask Jakob to give it to his sister. Of course, Martin wouldn't say it was from him. He'd say that someone else asked him to pass it on. Yes, that seemed perfect. After all, Jakob always dressed up as a squirrel on Valentine's Day, delivering notes.

"Jakob?" Martin said, catching the boy's attention. He had on fake buck teeth and purple glitter on his head, "Could you deliver this to June for me? I was asked by someone to pass it on, but since it's your 'job' and she's your sister..."

"Of course!" Jakob smiled and took the note, "I'll get it to her right away!"

Jakob scurried off down the halls, causing everyone to stare at him. He was holding the note in his mouth and had Woody tied to his back. He found June in the halls with Lily, Mary, and Martha.

"Hey June!" Jakob said, standing up and handing her the note, "I'm a little squirrel, and this nut's for you!"

"Wow, thanks Jakob!" June smiled and opened the note, reading it, "Hey guys, I got a secret admirer!"

"What? No way!" Mary cried, snatching the note, "Lemmie see!"

Martha took it from her and looked at it.

"Well what do you know? She does!" Martha said.

"Congrats, June," Lily smiled.

* * *

At the end of the day the kids were waiting for the bus, and Nick was still looking at the note Izzy had given him. Martin and Chris stood next to him. Martin was looking around for June, to see if she had gotten his note. He was sure she did, Jakob was good at his 'job', but just to make sure...

"Alright, I'm telling him," Chris said suddenly, walking over to Nick, "Nick-"

He was cut off by Nick gasping loudly as he realized.

"SHE _LIKES_ ME!"


	5. Camping

It was a Saturday morning, and Nick, Martin, and Chris were already up. They were packing for their camping trip. They were going camping in the woods all weekend.

"Good thing we have a long weekend," Chris was saying. He was on the phone with Nick and Martin, the phone on speakerphone, "More time for camping."

"Yes, it's the perfect opportunity," Martin agreed.

"And I already have the perfect spot picked out," Chris said, "Mom said she and our dads went camping there a few times."

"Where is it, Chris?" Nick asked.

"Well, it's near the river, so we have water and food," Chris said, "And there's enough trees to cover the area, but not so many that we can't pitch the tent."

"It does sound very nice," Martin said.

"Yup, and the whole weekend," Chris said, "And with no phones."

"Really Chris?" Martin asked, slightly shocked, "You'd go the whole weekend with no electronics?"

"Yeah, sure," Chris said, "I mean, if we're hanging in the woods the whole time."

"Hey Chris, can I bring Ginger?" Nick asked. His dad had gotten him a pet chicken a few weeks ago. Well, actually, it was an egg, but Nick raised it till it hatched. With a little help, Nick had been and still was taking very good care of the chicken.

"Sure, why not?" Chris shrugged, "But you have to watch her."

"Yes Nick, she will be your responsibility," Martin said.

"Don't worry guys, I'll take good care of her!" Nick smiled happily.

"Alright, I'm all packed," Chris said.

"As am I," Martin said, zipping up his bag.

"Right-o!" Nick was also all packed, shoving a bag of chicken feed into his bag.

"Now Nick, are you sure you only packed the essentials?" Martin asked.

"Clothes, a bit of food, sleeping bag, nothing else?" Chris clarified.

"Yup, got just that!" Nick said, "And chicken food for Ginger."

"Very good," Martin smiled, "Alright gentlemen, we'll meet at the spot."

"You guys got the maps I gave you?" Chris asked.

"Indeed," Martin said, picking up and unfurling said map. Nick nodded and picked up his map.

"Nick, we can't see you nodding," Chris said, assuming by the silence Nick had done so.

"Oh, yeah," Nick realized, "Uh, I got it!"

"Ok, let's get going," Chris said. He hung up the phone and headed out the door with his bag. Oliver jumped on his bag and meowed, "No Oliver, you can't come." Oliver meowed accusingly, "That's because Ginger isn't a pain and will actually listen to Nick."

Oliver huffed and jumped to the floor, walking off. Chris rolled his eyes and chuckled.

* * *

Martin and Chris got to the camping spot around the same time, but Nick was already there.

"Tsk tsk tsk, do you know how long I have been waiting?" Nick asked jokingly.

"Well the rest of us aren't as strong as you are," Chris said.

"Sorry we took so long, Nick," Martin apologized, "Father was giving me the low down on making sure I have everything I need, like bug spray or extra food just in case."

"Aw, it's alright Martin, I'm just playing," Nick smiled.

"Nick, you got the tent?" Chris asked.

"Right here," Nick said, pulling out the rolled up tent.

The three boys set up the tent and put their stuff inside. The first they were going to do was go fishing so they had some lunch, so Nick and Martin pulled out their fishing rods. They walked down to the river. Martin rolled out a towel and sat down. Ginger pecked at the ground near Nick. She was a young chicken, and she had orange feathers. That was why Nick had named her Ginger.

Nick put a worm on both his and Martin's hooks (Martin wouldn't go near the worm) and they cast the rods into the river. Chris just sat near the edge of the river, watching for fish.

"Are you sure you don't want a fishing pole, Chris?" Martin asked.

"No way, Martin," Chris denied, "This is a great way to improve my reflexes."

As he spoke, he plunged his hand into the water and pulled out a fish.

"Ah-ha!" He cried proudly, "Gotcha!"

"Cool trick, Chris," Nick said in awe. Ginger bawked and looked at Nick. Nick tilted his head before pulling the bag of chicken feed out of his pocket, "Aw, she's hungry."

Nick spread some of the seeds on the ground and Ginger pecked at them. Martin chuckled as he felt a tug on his pole. He struggled to reel it in but did eventually.

"Nice catch, Martin," Chris said as Martin pulled on gloves and took the fish off the hook.

"Why thank you, Chris," Martin smiled and placed the fish into the bucket of water next to them.

* * *

A little while later, they still hadn't gotten any more fish, about the three boys were about to give up when Nick got a tug on his pole.

"I got a bite!" Nick cried happily, reeling the pole in. It was a small bluegill.

"That's not even big enough for a meal," Chris said, "Throw it back, Nick."

"Aw, but it's so cute, Chris," Nick said, "Can't I keep it?"

"Nick, you already have Ginger," Martin said, "Do you think you can take care of two pets?"

"Yeah!" Nick said, "I can! I'll name it Angus!"

"Fine," Chris rolled his eyes and his stomach grumbling, "Come on, let's get cooking. I'm starving."

"Alright," Martin said, "Put Angus in the bucket, Nick, so he can breathe."

Nick set Angus in the bucket and carried the bucket back to their little camp. Ginger followed him, bawking and pecking at the ground.

"I'll feed you as soon as we get back to camp, Ginger," Nick said to the chicken.

They arrived at the tent and Nick set the bucket down before pulling out the bag of chicken feed. Nick held out a small pile of feed and Ginger pecked it from his hand. Nick laughed.

"That tickles," He said.

"Hey Nick, go get some wood for the fire, will ya?" Chris asked, pulling out some old newspapers. He learned from his mom that paper was good for starting a fire.

"Gotcha Chris!" Nick said, running off to get some wood. Ginger followed after him. Martin was clearing out an area for the fire, making a little circle out of rocks.

"This is to make sure that the fire doesn't spread," Martin explained.

"Good thinking, we wouldn't want to burn down the whole forest," Chris said. Nick soon returned and dumped some sticks in the circle.

"Got the wood, Chris!" Nick said, saluting.

"Good job, Log," Chris said. He put some balled up paper in a few spots in the pile of sticks. Martin took out a box of matches and lit one before lighting the fire.

"Now we have to wait awhile before it's hot enough to cook on," Martin said.

"Why?" Nick asked, "It's a fire, isn't it already hot?"

"Well, yeah, but fires get hotter as they burn," Chris explained, "Right now it's not hot enough to actually cook anything on, so we have to wait."

Martin looked at Chris questionably.

"What? My mom has a lot of fires, so what?" Chris asked, folding his arms. Martin shook his head and smiled. The three waited a bit before starting to cook the fish. They cooked the one Chris had caught first. Ginger approached the flames, looking at them curiously.

"No Ginger!" Nick said, grabbing her and picking her up, away from the fire, "Fire burns, gives you ouchie."

Ginger bawked like she understood and Nick set her down. She wandered over into the tent. Martin chuckled. After the fish was done cooking, Martin split it into three pieces and handed one each to him, Chris, and Nick on plates. Martin and Nick used forks to eat their fish, but Chris just ate his whole, except for the bones, of course.

"That was delish," Chris said, picking his teeth with a bone.

"Indeed," Martin agreed, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "What was your opinion on it, Nick?"

"Yummy yummy in my tummy!" Nick licked his lips happily.

* * *

That night, the three boys sat around the fire in the dark, chatting. Ginger was asleep on Nick's lap.

"Remember when we used to come here when we were young?" Martin asked.

"Yeah," Chris laughed, "We'd play all sorts of games. What was that one called? You guys pretended to be mice? And I'd try to catch you."

"Oh, I know that one!" Nick said, "Hunter! We called it Hunter!"

"Hunter And Prey, as I remember it," Martin said, "We didn't exactly play it for very long, though."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Chris said.

"This place was the best for hide and seek," Nick said, "Hey, why don't we-"

"Play a game?" Chris finished with a smile.

"At night?" Martin asked nervously, "In the...dark?"

"Well, yeah," Chris said, "Puts a nice twist on it, don't you think?"

"But how will we see?" Martin frowned.

"Well, I can use my cat vision, and we'll stay near the fire," Chris said, his blue eyes flashing yellow for half a second.

"Well, I suppose," Martin said, "Who's seeker."

"1 2 3," Chris said quickly.

"NOT IT!" Chris and Nick yelled together, then looked at Martin.

"Oh, huff," Martin sighed, "Very well then. I'll count to ten and then come find you. Nick, would you like me to put Ginger in the tent?"

"Okie-dokie-lokey," Nick said, handing the chicken over to Martin. Martin walked over to the tent and set her in a pile of blankets. He covered his eyes and began counting.

"One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten," Martin said slowly, before opening his eyes and looking out the tent, "R-Ready or not, here I come!"

He walked out and started looking around. He looked behind trees and behind the tent. He walked to the edge of the firelight, but couldn't see Chris or Nick. He thought for a minute.

"If I were Nick or Chris, where would I hide?" He asked himself before looking above him, in the tree branches. He smiled and walked over to a tree, "Chris, I found you!"

"Damn it," Chris groaned, climbing down the tree, "How'd you find me?"

"Language," Martin scolded, "I was thinking about where I would hide if I were you, and I thought 'The trees.'"

Chris ignored that first part and focused on the second part.

"I didn't think you would find me there," He said, "Well, have you found Nick yet?"

"I haven't," Martin shook his head, "Where would I hide if I were him?"

The two of them thought for a minute.

"The tent!" They both said together. They walked back to the tent and saw that Nick had indeed snuck back in there after Martin had left. He was sitting with Ginger, petting her and making kissing noises.

"Nick, we found you," Martin smiled.

"Aw," Nick pouted.

"Well, I found Chris first, so he's the next seeker," Martin said.

"Alright, both of ya get out and I'll count," Chris said.

* * *

After a few more rounds, the three boys decided to stay in the tent for the rest of the night. They set up a flashlight and started making shadow figures. They were playing a shadow version of Pictionary. Right now it was Chris's turn, so Nick and Martin were sitting to the side, Ginger sitting on Nick's lap.

"Alright, can you guess this one?" Chris asked, using both his hands and even his tail to make a figure.

"Oh oh, that's a, um, uh," Nick tried to think.

"That's a dragon, Chris," Martin smiled.

"Correct!" Chris said, "One point for you. Your turn."

"Oh, alright," Martin said. He scooted over to the flashlight and made a shape. Ginger bawked and clucked.

"Yeah, that's a chicken!" Nick said happily.

"That's right," Martin said, "Ok Nick, your go."

Nick thought for a minute.

"Oh oh, I got one!" Nick said, moving his hands around in front of the flashlight, "Can you guess it?"

"Gee Nick, is it a... _hand_?" Chris said. Nick was just holding his hand in front of the flashlight.

"Uh, wait," Nick said, moving his hands around again, but the hand shadow was still there, "Um, I think it's broken."

Martin and Chris laughed. After a while, the boys went to sleep, Ginger sleeping by Nick's head.

* * *

The next morning...

Nick woke up first, before Martin or Chris. Mostly because Ginger was pecking at his face.

"Oh, ok," Nick said, getting up and letting Ginger out. He spread some seed on the ground and went to check on Angus.

"AAAHHH!"

Chris and Martin sat bolt upright and ran out of the tent, worried.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Martin asked, frowning. Nick was sitting by the bucket, sobbing. Somehow, Martin knew what had happened before Nick said anything. And so did Chris, because he, for some reason, started taking steps back.

"Angus is gone!" Nick sobbed, holding the bones of what was once his fish. Martin frowned and looked back at Chris, who stopped walking back and smiled nervously.

"Oh alright, it was me!" Chris said, "I'm sorry, it was late and I was hungry! I forgot it was Nick's 'pet.'"

"Chris, how could you?" Martin glared at him and patted Nick's back, "There there, Nick, it'll be alright."

"He was the first fish I ever caught!" Nick sobbed, "He was like my lucky fishy!"

"We could have a funeral for him, if you'd like," Martin said, trying to make Nick feel better. Nick shook his head. He already had an idea.

* * *

Nick, Martin, and Chris soon packed up and headed home. Nick carried the tent and his stuff, with Ginger sitting atop the pile. Nick got home and set everything down. He had some rope around his neck, like a necklace.

"Welcome home, Nick," Autumn smiled.

"Hey, what's that?" Ed asked, looking at the necklace. Nick smiled down at the fish bones on the necklace.

"This is Angus, my more-than-lucky fishy," Nick answered.


	6. Short Number Two- Library

Martin was at the library, looking through the books. He was pulling down books of all different subjects. Chris and Nick were both busy (Chris with something he wouldn't let Martin in on, and Nick was going on a 'date' with Izzy) so Martin was free for the whole day. He planned to have a nice peaceful day at the library, reading.

As Martin was shifting through the books, he bumped into someone. The someone dropped all the books they were carrying and fell down.

"Oh, m-my apologies," Martin said, kneeling down to help the person pick up their books. They both reached for the same book and their hands were one on the other. Martin saw it was June and they both blushed lightly, "J-June! W-what are you d-doing here? And where are y-your, um, c-cousins? M-Mary isn't here, i-is she?"

"Oh, um, no," June shook her head, "I came here to study, by myself. It's too loud in the trailer."

"Study?" Martin asked, "Would you l-like some, uh, assistance?"

"Oh, s-sure," June smiled lightly.

Martin helped her pick up all her books and they walked over to a table. Upon sitting down, Jun scooted her chair a little closer to Martin. Ever since Valentine's day, she had felt...something...for the boy. Something similar to what she had felt for Nick. But it couldn't be the same thing, could it?

"So, w-what do you n-need help with?" Martin asked, pushing his glasses a bit up his face.

"Well, I'm a little confused with science," June said.

"Oh, that's not that hard," Martin smiled and began explaining it.

For some reason, he didn't feel queasy around June right now like he usually did. That funny feeling went away. He went into this whole spiel about science, math, social studies, anything June said she didn't understand. June looked very interested, and Martin felt like himself for the first time in quite a while.

June loved listening to Martin talk. She'd ask him about anything just to hear him talk more. She even asked him about subjects she was actually doing pretty well it. She listened to him talk in such detail about science. He looked so into it. She soaked everything in like a sponge, and she actually found herself understanding.

"Do you understand now?" Martin asked her after explaining some math.

"Yeah, that's easy," June found herself saying, "Thanks Martin, you're really smart!"

She noticed that this comment made the boy blush. But everyone always called him smart, and he didn't usually blush.

"Oh, well, um, t-thank you, June," Martin smiled nervously. That queasy feeling was back, "Well, I b-believe that's e-everything."

"Oh, there's nothing else?" June frowned. She couldn't think of one single subject they hadn't discussed yet. There really wasn't.

"No," Martin shook his head.

"Oh," June looked around and thought quickly, "So, um, what book are you reading?"

She pointed at the book under Martin's arm. He lifted his arm and looked at the book he had pulled off the shelf.

"Oh, well, you see, I'm very interested in space," He began. June smiled. She had got him. Anything he was 'very interested in' would guarantee another half an hour or so of discussion.

Unfortunately, that's not what had happened.

"June! Hey June!"

June frowned. Why? Why now? Why not in another half an hour?

"Hey June, mom says it's time to come home," Jakob said, walking up to her, "Oh hey Martin."

"But I just got here!" June protested.

"You've been here two hours!" Jakob said.

"Oh," June frowned as her brother pulled her along, "Well, bye Martin."

"Bye..." Martin said quietly, waving with a small frown.


	7. Date

Izzy was getting ready. She was going on her first date with Nick today, and she wanted to look nice. Not too nice, but nice enough so that she, well, looked nice. She was digging through her closet, looking for the perfect outfit.

"What do you think, Snowball?" Izzy asked the white kitten, holding up two shirts, "Stripes or polka dots?

Snowball looked between the two shirts and shook her head. She jumped off the bed and looked around in the drawers of the dresser. On top of the dresser was a fish tank with four goldfish in it. Snowball pulled out one of Izzy's minecraft shirts.

"Are you sure?" Izzy asked nervously, "I mean, it's the first date."

Snowball meowed and set the shirt on Izzy's lap.

"Well, I guess," Izzy said, "Don't dress pretty, dress for him."

Snowball nodded as Izzy pulled on the shirt. Izzy quickly brushed her hair and headed out the door.

* * *

Nick was smiling excitedly as he led Izzy to where he had planned their 'date'. He hadn't told Izzy, it was a surprise. His mom had said that girls like surprises. For some reason he didn't feel weird or nervous like Chris said he did on his first date with Nicole. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because the place they were going was someplace he went to a lot. Someplace he was familiar with.

"Here we are!" Nick announced and Izzy squealed happily.

"The arcade!" She beamed, "Oh Nick, this is the best place! Awesome!"

"I knew you'd like it cuz you said you spend a lotta time here," Nick said, dragging his foot back and forth.

"Yeah, these places are old, though," Izzy said, "Nobody comes here anymore. It's a shame, they'll go out of business if it keeps up."

"Yeah," Nick frowned, "Well, let's head inside."

They walked inside and Nick took out a handful of quarters.

"I got enough quarters for..." Nick closed one eye, stuck his tongue out, and started counting on his fingers, "At least ten or fifteen games."

"Sweet, let's play!" Izzy said. They both looked around.

"Oh oh, let's play _Zombie Raiders 4_!" Nick said, rushing over to the game, "Uh, unless it's too violent for you..."

"Are you kidding me? I love this game!" Izzy beamed, walking over, "I play it nearly every time I come here."

"Awesome!" Nick beamed.

He put a quarter into the game slot and it started up. The two each put on a pair of orange glasses and pairs of orange gloves and picked up the fake gun. Nick selected two players and they spent a bit of time customizing their characters before starting. There was some backstory before the game began. The two fought off the hoards of zombies. Nick shot one through the stomach. Izzy found a grenade and blew up a large group of zombies.

"Wow, you're good at this game," Nick said.

"Thanks, so are you," Izzy smiled proudly, "Nick, look out!"

Izzy shot a zombie that was about to eat Nick. Nick looked behind him at the zombie.

"Thanks Iz," Nick said. They soon beat the game.

"Look Izzy, look, that's me!" Nick said, pointing at the first place on the leaderboard. The name was _ZombieChicken_.

"Oh that's you?" Izzy asked, looking, "Cool! I was wondering who that was."

* * *

After about another hour they went to get some dinner. They went to Taco Bell and sat down before beginning to eat.

"You know, my mom doesn't really eat cow, but I don't seem to have a problem with it," Izzy said, licking her lips as she took a bite of her taco, "I mean, I won't eat it everyday, but I'll still eat it."

"My dad said it's because she said cows give us milk, and she really like milk," Nick said.

"Yeah, my mom has some weird logic," Izzy shrugged, "So, are we going anywhere after this?"

"Well, I did kinda want to go over to Victor's petting zoo," Nick said, "He has chickens there."

"Aw, that's so cute!" Izzy said, "I love animals. I heard he got a new baby sheep."

"Oh oh, yeah!" Nick said, "It's so cute! Wooly bully!"

Nick hugged himself and smiled. Izzy giggled and smiled too. They soon finished eating and walked over to Victor's Petting Soon. He had opened it about a year ago, and had actually made a lot of money from it. Kids were there everyday from a bunch of other cities.

"Hiya Victor!" Nick greeted.

"Hallo, weak-in-the-upper-story-Nick-boy!" Victor greeted back, "You are here with boy-like-Izzy-girl today, yes?"

"Uh-huh," They both nodded.

"Ok then, two tickets, yes?" Victor said.

"Yes!" Nick said, pulling out a dollar. Since they all had been friends since they were young, they got half off. Victor took the dollar and gave them each a ticket.

"We have a new sheep in," Victor informed them, "His name is Shawn."

"Ok," Izzy said, "Nick, let's go see him first!"

The two rushed into the petting zoo and Victor chuckled lightly. He had been able to see Izzy's crush on Nick since they were just little things. He thought back to the story about the mountain sprites his dad had always told him about. The ones that always seemed to cause trouble. Maybe they weren't all bad. Victor could see that by looking at Nick and Izzy.

 _A match made in Halvalla, yes?_ Victor thought to himself.

"Nick, I think the chickens are over here," Izzy said, looking at the map.

"Chickens!" Nick yelled happily before running over.

"Hey, wait up!" Izzy called, running after him. Nick was already hugging the chickens, making soft kissing noises.

"Aw, look at them," He smiled. Izzy smiled too. Nick was so...well, cute when he was happy.

"Yeah, they're so cute," Izzy said, "Hey, I can make a chicken noise. Wanna hear?"

"Ok," Nick said. Izzy made a perfect impression of a chicken, "Woah, way cool!"

"Yeah, I learned it from my mom," Izzy said proudly, "I can also do a cow, a pig, and a sheep pretty well. Ooh, speaking of which, can we go look at the piggies? I like piggies."

"Oh, ok," Nick said, setting the chickens down. They both walked over to the pig pens.

* * *

After the day was over, Nick walked Izzy home.

"Thanks for today, Nick," Izzy said. For some reason she felt nervous now. Of all times all day for her to feel nervous, it was now, at the end of the day. Maybe it was because it was just them now. No one else in the area.

"No problem," Nick said. He felt nervous too, and didn't understand why. He was fine around Izzy all day. When they were playing video games at the arcade and eating lunch at Taco Bell and playing with the animals at Victor's Petting Zoo. Nick thought it was because those were all places he was familiar with, but he was familiar with Izzy's house, too. He came here to see Chris all the time. Maybe it was because he was here for/with Izzy, and not Chris?

"I had fun," Izzy said.

"I did too," Nick agreed.

"Do you think we could, um, maybe, do it again sometime?" Izzy asked, looking at her feet.

"Sure, yeah," Nick smiled.

What did he do now? Did he just say bye, or did they hug or something?

"Well, bye," Izzy said shyly.

Izzy liked hugs. She would be ok with it, wouldn't she?

"Uh, yeah, bye..." Nick said, frowning slightly.

It was now or never.

Izzy went to go inside, but Nick quickly gave her a short hug. Izzy was a bit surprised but hugged back.

"Thank you, Nick," Izzy whispered before heading inside.


	8. Bowling

The kids were all getting ready for their bowling night. A while ago they had all planned to go bowling together (yes, even the sons and daughters of the Kankers) and tonight was the night. It was going to be teams of three all against each other. Nick, Martin, and Chris were, obviously, on the same team. Martin had bought them all matching hats. They walked to the bowling alley with the other kids. The teams were all walking together:

Nick, Martin, and Chris. (The Scammers)

Izzy, Ryland, and Nicole. (Girlfriends)

Janet, Jason, and Oliva. (The Angers)

Bellini, Bellino, and Sheldon. (Green Team)

James, Justin, and Lil. (The Crushers)

June, Jakob, and Woody. (The Weirdos)

Lily, Phil, and Sierra. (The Redheads)

Mary, Martha, and Victor. (The Blueheads)

Sierra wasn't too happy with her team members, but they had been the only team with only two people. Mary and Martha had convinced Victor to get away from his petting zoo for the night to come bowling with the others. The younger kids (the twins, Sheldon, and Oliva) were really excited. They had never gone bowling before.

"She's so cute when she's excited," Phil said to Lil.

"Yeah, so is he," Lil said. They had both had crushes on the twins since they were _young._

* * *

The group soon arrived at the bowling alley and went inside. Izzy had reserved four lanes for all of them. Two teams would play against each other. The winners of those four matches would play two matches, and the winners of those would play for champions. The winning team got free ice cream and week-long bragging rights. Of course, the teams versing each other made bets a little bit more...personal.

"If we win, we get kisses whenever we want for a week," James said. His team, the Crushers, were playing against Izzy, Ryland, and Nicole's team, Girlfriends.

"And if we win, you gotta leave us alone for a week," Izzy said. James and Justin glanced at each other.

"Deal," They said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the two color-headed teams were making their bets. Sierra was staying quiet. They were making chore-related bets, and she wasn't related to them.

"If we win, you gotta do our chores for a week," Phil said.

"And if we win?" Mary asked.

"How about Redheaded-team members work at Victor's Petting Zoo for a week?" Victor suggested.

"And you haveta clean under our bed," Martha said, smirking. Lily and Phil looked at each other, disgusted. No one ever cleaned under the beds at the trailer.

"Alright, deal," Lily said. She and Mary spit into their palms and shook hands.

"Eww…" Sierra frowned.

* * *

"Alright you two, let's knock down some pins!" Chris said to Nick and Martin. They were playing against the Green Team.

"Let's do this!" Nick cheered.

"On three, gentlemen," Martin said, setting his hand in the middle of their circle. Chris and Nick did the same, "One...two...three."

"Let's scam some suckers!" They cheered.

"Hey everyone, we're here at the bowling alley, about to witness some awesome rounds of bowling!" Izzy said. She was holding a microphone, "So we have eight teams here today, and they're in four different versus- Girlfriends versus Crushes, sworn enemies till the end of time-"

"Come on, babe, don't be like that," James said, "It'll happen one day, you'll see."

"The Scammers versus the Green Team," Izzy continued, ignoring James, "Brothers versus sisters, cousins versus cousins, the Weirdos versus the Angers, siblings versus siblings, and the Redheads versus Blueheads, color versus color, cousins versus cousins. Let's begin, shall we?"

* * *

A little while later…

"Hey Iz, you versus James, get down here!" Nicole called.

"Alright everyone, I'm handing the mike over to my partner in crime, Neat Nicole, while I go beat ass of a certain boy I like to call Jackass James."

"ROASTED!" Chris yelled, laughing.

"Zip it, Pound Cake," James snapped.

"Alright, dudes and dudettes, I'm Nicole Dorn," Nicole announced, "So we, like, have Izzy versus James down there, do let's see what happens."

James rolled the ball down the lane and knocked down eight pins. He got a spare by knocking down the last two the second time.

"James got a spare there, so now Izzy needs a, um, strike or else her team will, like, fall behind," Nicole announced.

"Better start picking out lipstick," James said, smirking. Izzy growled and rolled a strike. Nicole and Ryland cheered.

"I don't wear lipstick!" Izzy cheered herself before going back over to Nicole and taking the microphone.

"Nice job, Iz," Nicole smiled.

"Alright everypeople, Iz-aye is back on the mike," Izzy announced, "As you heard, I had just beat Jackass James, but let's take a look at the other teams."

Chris was about to bowl for his team.

"So over here we got Carking Chris about to bowl for the Scammers," Izzy said.

"Carking?" Chris questioned, confused.

"It means annoying, Chris," Martin explained.

"Right you are, Smartin' Martin," Izzy said. Chris rolled the ball and knocked down two pins. He groaned, "Ooh, not a very good bowl from Carking Chris."

* * *

A little while later...

"So we, like, have our four first winning teams," Nicole said.

"That's right, the Scammers, made up of Carking Chris, Smartin' Martin, and Nonsensical Nick, the Girlfriends, made up of moi, Neat Nicole, and Rambunctious Ryland, the Weirdos, (Woody had somehow pulled out a fantastic finishing move, winning the round for his team) made up of Joking Jakob, Jumping Junebug, and Wooden Woody, and the Blueheads, made up of Malicious Mary, Machiavellian Martha, (It meant cunning) and Vigorous Victor," Izzy said, calling out all the contestants.

"So now we're, like, versusing new teams," Nicole said, "The Scammers versus the Girlfriends and the Weirdos versus the Blueheads."

"Brothers versus sisters, boyfriends versus girlfriends, and then cousins versus cousins," Izzy said, "Some very interesting matches we have going on here. And those winners will make it to the finals."

* * *

After some very interesting matches, the two teams Girlfriends and Blueheads emerged victorious, and out of those two? Why, none other than…

"ME, NEAT NICOLE, AND RAMBUNCTIOUS RYLAND!" Izzy screamed, "THE GIRLFRIENDS WON, THE GIRLFRIENDS WON!"

"You know what's weird?" James asked them.

"Them?" Ryland asked, pointing at the Weirdos.

"No- well, them too," James said, "But you call yourselves the Girlfriends, yet only two of you actually are."

"As far as you know," Izzy said, walking off with Ryland and Nicole. James frowned.

* * *

Izzy, Ryland, and Nicole were all enjoying a free ice cream at the nearby ice cream shop. They were laughing and talking about the competition that had just happened.

"And he thought that we would happen one day, and I think, 'Uh, no, I'm taken, sorry,'" Izzy said.

"Yeah, like seriously," Ryland said, "It's a good thing we won. I don't think I could handle having to _let_ Justin kiss me for a week. Yuck!"

"You know, you're lucky, Nicole," Izzy said, "You don't have a Kanker cousins on you."

"Well, I mean, Lily doesn't like me too much, cuz I'm going out with Chris," Nicole said, "So I kinda have her."

"Yeah, but I mean with kisses and stuff," Izzy gagged, "Do you know how long it takes hickeys to go away?"

 _Actually, I do,_ Nicole thought, but decided not to share.

"Not exactly," Nicole said, "But I heard there's ways to get rid of 'em quicker."

"Really?" Izzy asked, "I'll Google it later. That would be super useful."

"Well, it's getting late," Ryland said when she finished her ice cream, "I should get going. Dad throws a fit if I'm not back before dark."

"Alright, see you later then," Nicole waved as Ryland left.

* * *

"Nice going, Lily."

"It ain't my fault we lost!"

"Yeah, but you're the one who agreed to it!"

"Just shut up and pass me the gloves."

Phil rolled his eyes (though it was unseen because of his hair) and passed a pair of gloves to his older sister. Lily reached under Mary and Martha's bed and pulled out some trash. Phil held open a trash bag as she dumped the stuff inside. No one _ever_ cleaned under _any_ of the beds at the trailer, and it was disgusting. There was food under the bed too, which was what had brought the mice that inhabited the trailer. There were mouse traps set up everywhere, and while the two were cleaning, they heard one snap.

"We caught one!" Phil exclaimed. They both started looking around for the trap and found it near the back wall. Phil grabbed his own pair of gloves and took the now-dead mouse out, setting it in the garbage bag. Lily reset the trap and put it back where it was.

"All right, back to under the bed," Lily said. They both pulled out lots of trash and old food before they were done.

"All right, we're done," Phil sighed. They headed downstairs, where Mary and Martha were watching TV.

"We're done cleaning under your bed," Lily said.

"Cool," Mary said, "But there's still the rest of our chores."

"Like washing the dishes," Martha said.

"And the laundry," Mary said. Lily and Phil groaned.

"All right, all right," Phil said, "We're on it."


	9. Short Number Three- Animals

Victor woke up that Saturday morning. He had moved out of his dad's house and mom's trailer (depending on the time of year) about a year ago, on his eighteenth birthday. Now, he had his own place, with a large backyard for farming, and his petting zoo down the street.

Victor's Petting Zoo.

Victor liked the sound of that.

He got up and got dressed. It was early, the crack of dawn. That's when Victor liked it. It reminded him of the stories his dad would tell about the Old Country. People would rise before the roosters did, tending crops. Victor's papa, Rolf, said that was the coolest time of day to do so, before it got too hot. Victor tended to his crops and fed his animals. He patted his goat, Arthur, on the head before leaving. Arthur was a big and strong goat, which was why he was Victor's transportation everywhere. Sort of like a car, but neither he nor his dad trusted cars.

* * *

Victor soon arrived at his petting zoo, where he put Arthur in a special pen. It had a sign above it with 'Arthur The Goat' written on it. The kids were allowed to pet him, but not go in the pen.

"Morning boss," One of the workers said to Victor.

"Hallo, nighting-protector-Alex," Victor greeted, "Any trouble at Victor's Petting Zoo?"

"No sir, nothing," Alex shook his head, "I was just about to clock out."

* * *

Later in the day, Victor was working with some of the animals. He was getting ready for the show. Every Saturday he had a show with the animals. He showed them to the kids and taught them about the animals. He showed off his most special animals, like Wilbur or Arthur.

"Hiya Victor!"

And there they were, right on time.

"Hallo, cat-girl-Izzy and weak-in-the-upper-story-Nick-boy," Victor said. The two of them came every Saturday to see the show. They had never missed one since they started dating.

 _Shush, you can't tell anyone,_ Victor thought, looking at the readers, _Izzy-girl and Nick-boy's title is a secret._

"Can I pet the chickens, Victor?" Nick asked, "Can I? Aw, pleaaase?"

"Sure, bouncing-on-heels-Nick-boy," Victor said. Nick started cuddling the chickens Victor was going to use for the show.

"Cuddly chickens," Nick said happily, smiling.

"So, Nick-boy, how is hen-Ginger?" Victor asked.

"She's getting so big, Victor!" Nick said, "I kinda wanted to get her a friend."

"What kind of 'friend'?" Victor asked.

"I wanted to become a chicken farmer," Nick said.

"Oh-ho!" Victor said, "Well, Victor has many a-fine rooster for hen-Ginger."

"Oh, thank you, Victor!" Nick cried happily, hugging Victor.

"On one condition," Victor said, "Nick-boy sells young chicks to Victor. Not all, only a few."

"Oh, you got it!" Nick said, "It could be my job!"

"That it could, Nick-boy," Victor smiled.

"I could help," Izzy said, "Since I can talk to animals, I could help figure out which are boys and which are girls."

"Oh yeah, it could be our business together!" Nick said, hugging Izzy, "Like your parents's bakery!"

"Yeah," Izzy giggled.

* * *

At the end of the day, Victor was locking up the petting zoo. He was making sure all the animals were in their pens before riding Arthur home. He had Wilbur on a rope leash so he could bring him home.

"Have a good night, nighting-protector-Alex!" Victor called, waving. When he got home he fed his animals before going to bed.

Just another day at the petting zoo.


	10. Tutor

Nick, Martin, and Nick were in English class. Nick and Chris were goofing off, but Martin was paying close attention. He did notice that Mary was missing from class, though. Strange. He had seen her in the halls earlier in the day.

"Nick, Chris, pay attention!" The teacher snapped. Just then, the speaker clicked on.

"Martin Vincent to the office, Martin Vincent to the office," Someone announced before it clicked off.

"Oooooooooh!" The entire class went. Martin frowned and stood up.

"Dear me, why is my presence required in the office?" He asked, walking out the door, "Perhaps it's just a tutoring assignment."

Well, he wasn't wrong.

As Martin walked through the halls, lots of situations ran through his mind as he listened to his footsteps echo.

 _Did they figure out that it was Nick and Chris who spray painted the building?_

 _No, they would have called them down._

 _Is it Father? Does he want to see me?_

 _No, science is my next class. He would have waited until then. Besides, he would never want to remove me from class._

 _Perhaps it's Nick and Chris. Maybe the principal just wants to talk to me about them._

Martin reached the office doors and pushed them open.

"E-excuse me, I was called down?" He said.

"Yes, Principal Antonucci would like to speak with you," The lady at the front desk said. Martin knocked on the principal's door and entered, sitting down in front of the desk.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Martin said.

"Yes, I have a tutoring job for you," Principle Antonucci said.

 _Thank goodness!_

"Oh, I'd love to take the job," Martin smiled, "Who would I be tutoring?"

At that moment, a loud _pop_ sounded from the corner of the room. Martin turned around and saw Mary sitting in the corner.

"Hey honeybun," Mary said. Martin frowned nervously.

"H-hello, M-Mary," He said.

"Mary here needs some help in her classes," Principle Antonucci said, "Her grades aren't very good, any neither are her cousin's, June. I know it might be difficult teaching two different students, and you don't have to take the job, but-"

"Oh, no sir, I'll take it," Martin said quickly, "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Very well then," Principle Antonucci smiled.

"So, where is June?" Martin asked, "Surely she'd be informed of this."

"She didn't come in today," Mary said, blowing a bubble with her gum, "Out sick."

"Oh," Martin frowned. Right, of course. She hadn't been in any of the other classes.

"But Mary will tell her about you being their new tutor, won't you, Mary?" Principle Antonucci asked, looking at Mary.

"Yeah, sure," Mary shrugged.

"Alright, you two may leave now and go back to class," Principle Antonucci said. Martin and Mary left the office and headed into the halls. Mary pinned Martin against the wall as soon as they rounded the corner.

"Listen, I'm kinda busy after school, and I've been banned from the library, so how about you stop by the trailer later?" Mary suggested, "Maybe, say, five thirty?"

"Oh, um, a-alright," Martin said nervously.

"Thanks honeybun," Mary smiled and gave Martin a kiss before walking off to class. Martin quickly followed after her. They were in the same English class, so they were both going the same direction. They arrived at class and took their seats. Chris and Nick looked at Martin.

"What was that all about?" Chris asked.

"Oh, just another tutoring assignment," Martin said, "I have to tutor two people this time."

"Jeez, two?" Chris asked, "Sure you can handle it?"

"I'm sure I can," Martin said, "I handle you two, don't I?"

"But Martin, what about us?" Nick asked, "You'll still be able to help us, right?"

"Of course, Nick," Martin smiled assuringly, "Just because I'm tutoring someone else doesn't mean I'm not tutoring you."

"Good, cuz I still don't understand science," Chris said.

"Well, we'll work on that tomorrow," Martin said.

"So, who are you tutoring now?" Chris asked.

"Ah, well, that's the thing," Martin frowned again, "The two students are Mary and June."

"Sheppard and 2x4?!" Chris and Nick cried, and the teacher shushed them.

"Yes, Sheppard and 2x4," Martin said in a quieter voice, "They're grades are sinking and Principle Antonucci asked me to help them."

"But Martin, these are daughters of Kankers we're talking about," Chris said.

"Yeah, they're mean and scary, especially June!" Nick said fearfully.

"For your information, June is not all that bad," Martin said, feeling a bit defencive, "She's actually very nice once you get to know her, and as for Mary...well...I'll be ok, guys. Don't worry about me."

"You sure?" Chris asked, "Cuz we'll come over to protect ya if you need it."

"I assure you, I do not need protection," Martin said. Chris snickered slightly but kept that thought to himself.

"But Martin, what if something happens?" Nick worried.

"I'll be fine, Nick," Martin smiled at him, "It's nothing I can't handle."

* * *

Martin was gathering up his tutoring supplies and his books. He set everything into a suitcase and headed out the door over to the trailer park. He walked a little slowly. He was excited he got to tutor June, so he wanted to get there quickly. But he was scared of Mary, so he wanted to postpone his arrival as long as he could. He was confused.

Eventually he did arrive, at exactly five thirty, and knocked on the door. The door opened to James and Justin leaning against opposite sides of the doorway. Martin paled and started sweating nervously.

"O-oh, um, h-hello, g-gentlemen," He stuttered, "Uh, I-I'm here f-for Mary and J-June's t-tutoring."

The two brothers glanced at each other before pulling the nervous Martin inside by the front of his shirt. Martin gulped as James slammed the door shut behind them.

"Hey Mary, June, your nerd is here!" Justin called up the stairs. Footsteps were heard as June almost ran down the stairs, stopping at the bottom.

"Oh, hey Martin," June smiled, "Mary told me you were our tutorer."

June swirled her skirt back and forth a little, smiling shyly.

"Ah, well, y-yes, that's what I'm here for," Martin smiled lightly, relieved it was June who had come down to greet him and not Mary, "I hope you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I'm all good," June waved it off, "It was just a sore throat."

James shoved Martin forward and he nearly fell, but steadied himself just in time. James and Justin snickered.

"Um, yes, well, let's head upstairs, shall we?" Martin said. June lead him up the stairs. There were two doors, each leading to a bedroom. June explained that the other door was all of their parents' room as she entered the one door. The room they were entering was messy and cluttered and had four beds.

"All the siblings share a bed," June said, "It's really cramped. And we share a closet. Oh, and ignore the mouse traps."

"M-mouse traps?" Martin said fearfully. Mice were illness-infected creatures that could spread disease easily. He would hate having to sleep in a room where he knew mice were inhabiting.

"Yeah, we have a bit of an infestation," June said, "But they don't come out during the day, so we're alright."

"Oh, well, ok then," Martin said, "So, um, w-where's Mary?"

"Be out in a sec, honeybun!" Mary called from the closet. She soon came out dressed in a white tight half-shirt and jean shorts.

"S-so, um, l-let's get started, s-shall we?" Martin said. June and Mary sat on either side of him on the bed, leaning into his 'personal space', "Oh my."

* * *

Chris and Nick were at Chris's house on the couch. Neither of them were doing anything or saying anything. The only sound in the room was the tick tick tick of the clock on the wall. Chris looked at it.

"I can't take it!" Chris said suddenly, surprising Nick, "Martin could be in trouble, we have to go after him!"

"Yeah, he could be being attacked by evil Kanker daughters!" Nick said fearfully. The two of them got up and headed out the door.

* * *

"Ok, so, let's start with some simple math problems," Martin said, "Twelve times twelve?"

Both girls thought for a minute before looking confused.

"Alright, um, six times eight?" Martin tried. Nothing, "Hmm, this'll be harder than I thought."

He thought for a minute before coming up with an idea.

"Let's try this," He said, "Mary." The blue-haired girl looked at him, "You have twelve cars, and each car needs four wheels. How many wheels do you need in total?"

"Easy, forty eight," Mary said.

"June, a cake takes twelve tablespoons of flour to bake," Martin tried with June, "You want to bake twelve cakes. How much flour do you need?"

"144, but no cake needs that much flour, and-" June was cut off by Martin.

"I know, June, but pretend," Martin said, "And congrats, you two, you just did twelve times four, which can also be seen as six times eight, and twelve times twelve without even thinking about it."

"Hey, yeah!" Mary said, "Wow, you're so smart, honeybun!"

"Thank you," Martin smiled.

"Do you think you could help me with science?" June asked. She had learned from that times they met at the library, Martin loved to talk about science.

"I don't see why not," Martin smiled at her.

"Science confuses me," Mary said.

"Well Mary, that's what I'm here for," Martin said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chris and Nick had just arrived at the trailer. Chris knocked on the door and James and Justin answered, leaning against opposite sides of the doorway.

"We're here to see Martin," Chris said.

"He's busy," James and Justin said shortly.

"I don't care, we want to see him!" Chris said angrily.

"We don't care," James and Justin glared at Chris.

"If we say he's busy, that means he's busy, now scram!" James snapped.

"Not until we see our friend!" Chris snapped back, "Right Nick? Nick?"

Nick was hiding behind the nearby trailer.

"Right behind you, Chris!" Nick called fearfully.

"Nick! Get your ass over here and help me get Martin back!" Chris yelled at him. Nick hurried over and stood behind Chris. Before Chris could turn around to face James and Justin, the two boys pulled him in by the back of his shirt. Justin grabbed Nick before he could run off.

"Listen Pound Cake, you can stay until the nerd is done tutoring our cousins, but you're not interrupting them," Justin said. Chris growled angrily.

"Like hell we aren't!" He yelled, trying to shove past James and Justin.

* * *

"So when the solute and solution mix like this-" Martin was explaining to the two girls (June looked interested but Mary looked bored out of her mind) when they heard the commotion downstairs.

"Hey, they started a fight without me!" Mary pouted angrily. She rushed downstairs, "Hey, Freak and Chicken!"

"DON'T CALL ME FREAK!"

"Oh dear," Martin frowned. Freak and Chicken, those were Mary's nicknames for Chris and Nick, "Uh, maybe I should go see what's going on."

"I'll come with you," June said. She followed Martin downstairs, where James was holding Chris with his arms behind his back with Nick hid behind the couch.

"Hey, you're just in time, Mary," Justin said. He was over by Nick, to keep him hiding, "We were just about to beat down these two. Wanna help?"

"It would be my pleasure!" Mary smiled and cracked her knuckles. Chris flinched as she prepared to hit him, but she never did.

"Mary, don't!"

Mary whipped around to see Martin rushing over and standing in front of Chris.

"P-please, don't harm my friends," Martin said nervously, "You've made a nice improvement on your work, and I'd love to stay and tutor you and June some more, but I must be leaving now, with my friends."

"Oh, alright," Mary huffed, "Let 'em go, guys."

James rolled his eyes and let go of Chris, who jumped forward a little. Nick, Martin, and Chris quickly exited the trailer and walked back to the second cul-de-sac.

"Wow Martin, that was so brave of you," Nick said.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Let my nearest and dearest friends get beaten?" Martin smiled, "Why'd you two come, though?"

"We couldn't help it, we were worried," Chris said, "We came to save ya."

"I didn't need saving, Chris," Martin frowned, "I was handling it fine on my own. In fact, neither Mary nor June tried to kiss me."

"Well, that's good, I guess," Chris said, "Sorry, Martin."

"It's alright, Chris, you were just concerned," Martin said, "Well, it's still light out. How about we work on your science?"


End file.
